Shoe-protector



(No Model.)

J. H. & P. W. SGHOLDING. SHOE PROTBGTOR.

No. 515,173. Patented Feb. 20, 1894 mvemons:

BY EMM flzfim monm UNITED STATES PATENT Eric.

JOHN H. SCHOLDING AND FREDERICK W. SCHOLDING, OF YONKERS, NEW

YORK. I

SHOE-PROTECTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,173, dated February20, 1894.

Application filed May 6, 1893. Serial No. 473,211. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. SOHOLDING and FREDERICK W. SCHOLDING,citizens of the United States, and residents of Yonkers, in the countyof WVest-chester and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Boot or Shoe Protectors, of'which the followingis a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide means for protecting the toeand heel portions of boots and shoes, being especially designed for theuse of children while coasting on sleds, to. enable them to steer thesled with more certainty than with the unprotected shoes, while removingthe wear on the shoe which always attends the steering of sleds by thefeet, and also to enable the person Wearing the protector to obtain abetter footing or hold upon snow and ice while walking.

The invention consists in a detachable protector adapted to be placedover the toe or heel portion of a shoe and provided with means forholding it in position on the shoe.

The invention also consists in the novel details of improvement and thecombinationsof parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof,wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe showing our protectorapplied to both the toe and heel of the shoe. Fig. 2 is a face view ofthe bottom or under side of the heel protector. Fig. 3 is a similar viewof the toe protector. Fig. 4 is a partly broken face view of the heelprotector, looking in the direction of the arrow 1 in Fig. 1, a portionof the shoe being in section on the line 2, 2, in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 isa face View of the toe protector, partly in section, looking in thedirection of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1.

In the drawings the letter A indicates a suitable shoe or foot coveringto which our protectors are shown applied.

B is our shoe or boot toe protector and B is the heel protector, theybeing made substantially alike excepting that they are arcorrespondingto the shape of said portion of 5 5 v a shoe or boot. The protector Bhas a tread portion b, to lie against the sole d of the shoe or boot,andthe portion 6 of said protector that covers the toe portion ofthe shoeor boot is preferably made v outwardly flaring, as at f, so as to permitready entrance of the shoe or boot and the free bending of the footwithin the protector. At the junction of the portions b and e of theprotector is provided an outwardly extending flange or rim D, which isutilized by the user as a means for obtaining a firm hold upon the snowwhile steering a sled by the foot.

The portions b and e of the protector may be suitably joined together,but we find it advantageous to form the protector out of a single pieceof material, say for instance, from thin metal suitably stamped or drawnto the desired form. WVhen the protector ismade in this manner theflange or rim D may be made as in the section in Fig. 5, that is to say,pressed or swaged out, as shown. By this means a strong structure isproduced without scams or rivets, and the flange or rim D being integralwith the portions b and e of the protector detachment of the flange willbe prevented and leakage obviated.

We prefer that the tread portion 1) of the protector should be providedwith ribs or webs g, that preferably extend lengthwise of the shoe A,and incline from the inner portion of the protector toward the outerpart, near the latter part vanishing down flush with the tread b, asindicated. The ribs or 0 webs g are preferably an integral portion ofthe tread b, and for this purpose when the tread is formed the ribs orwebs g are produced by bending or swaging the material of the tread b tothe desired shape, as in Fig. 5. 5 In this case the ribs or webs g'willform open gutters leading to the inner edge, or nearly so, of theprotector, so that any melted snow under the sole or heel can pass away.But it is evident that the ribs or webs g can be suitably connected withtread b, as may be found most desirable. They are preferably arranged indiverging lines on the tread b of the protector as in Figs. 2, 3 and 5.

To further assist the person wearing the protector while walking on snowor ice, especially up hill, the inner edge of the tread b of theprotector may be bent downwardly, preferably to form one or moreprojections 71, h, of suitable width, as shown.

The protector may be provided with suitable means for detachablyconnecting it with the shoe or boot of the wearer, and for this purposeit is shown provided with a strap i havinga buckle j, as in full anddotted lines in Fig. 1.

The toe protector B and the heel protector B are constructedsubstantially alike in all material respects, with such necessarychanges as will enable one to tit upon the toe and-the other upon theheel portion of a shoe or boot. The protector 13 preferably has aflaring mouth f at its upper portion, its opening or mouth a beingarranged to receive the heel portion of the shoe. The flange or rim D onthe heel protector is placed particularly at the rear lower part so thatwhen the heel is used to steer a sled by a firm hold upon the snow canbe obtained. At the for ward part of the treadb of the heel protectormay be placed upright projections or lugs (one or more) 7L which act toprevent the protector from slipping from the shoe or boot heel Z.

The protector may be lined with a suitable soft material m, such as feltor wool, for the sake of warmth and comfort, and to prevent snow fromcollecting between the shoe and the protector.

It is evident that the portion 6 of the protector could be made ofleather, rubber, cloth or other material and suitably joined to thetread b and rim D, but we prefer to make the entire device from a singlepiece of material, say thin metal.

Although both the toe and heel protectors are shown applied to a singleshoe it is evident that they may be used separately, as for instance, aboy would probably wear the toe protector solely, as he usually steers asled with the toe of his shoe, while a girl would probably use only theheel protector 13*, as she usually sits upon a sled and steers with herheels. But with either or both the protectors applied the flange or rimD or D will be found very useful as it will act somewhat as a rubberbecause it can take a firm hold upon the snow when a person is trying tosteer a sled.

The protectors will be found very useful, as they will protect the shoeor boot from wear as well as protecting the foot from injury incoasting. They can be worn with ordinary shoes or boots, or over rubberboots or overshoes. They are cheap tomanufacture, simple in constructionand easy to adjust upon the feet.

Having now described our invention, what we claim is 1. A shoe or bootprotector consisting of an imperforate casing having an opening forreceiving a portion of a shoe or boot, one wall of the protector havinga flaring end and an outwardly projecting flange or rim D arranged alongthe lower outer edge of the protector, and formed of two substantiallycontiguous webs substantially as described.

2. A shoe or boot protector consisting of a casing having a bottom ortread, a flangeor rim extending outwardly alongthe lower outer edge, andribs or webs arranged longitudinally on the bottom of the protectorforming a continuous gutter and projecting downwardly therefrom,substantially as described.

3. A shoe or boot protector consisting of a casing having a tread orbottom, and downwardly projecting ribs or webs formed on said bottomfrom the same material which latter is pressed outwardly to form saidribs or webs into continuous gutters, substantially as described.

4. A shoe or boot protector consisting of a terial of the casing andformed from two sub-.

stantially contiguous webs, substantially as described.

5. A shoe or boot protector consisting of a casing having an upperportion, a tread or bottom and open on one side, the material at theedge of said tread under the opening being bent downwardly to form aprojection, and an outwardly projecting flange extending from the loweredge of the casing, sub- 'stantially as described,

.6. A shoe or boot protector consisting of a casing having an upperportion, a tread or bottom and openon one side, the material at the edgeof said tread under the opening being bent upwardly to form aprojection, and an outwardly projecting flange extending from the loweredge of the casing, substantially as described.

7. A shoe or boot protector consisting of a casing made from a singlepiece of material and having an upper portion, a tread or bottom, and ahorizontal flange or rim D pressed out from the meeting parts of theupper portion. and tread, ribs or webs formed by double walls pressedfrom the tread and projecting downwardly, and a downward projectionformed from the bent edge of the tread or bottom under the opening,substantially as described.

8. A shoe or boot protector, consisting of a casing having an upperportion, a tread or ehester and State of New York, this 2d day ofbottom, and one side open, and rifbsor webs May, A. D. 1893. projectingrom the under side 0 the tread, v extending longitudinally thereof andinolin- 5 ing from the inner edge of the tread upt wardly and outwardly,substantially as and Witnesses: for the purposes specified. WM. H.FULLER,

Signed at Yonkers, in the county of West- WM. P, CONSTABLE.

